Wilderness.org - recreation economyhttp://wilderness.org/tags/recreation-economy
enPublication Celebrates the Wilderness Act at 50-Year Milestone: An Enduring Legacy for Future Generationshttp://wilderness.org/press-release/publication-celebrates-wilderness-act-50-year-milestone-enduring-legacy-future
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-release-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2014-06-04T17:15:00-04:00">Jun 4, 2014</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-dateline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">WASHINGTON</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/TWS%2050thAnn%20COVER.jpg" width="2550" height="3300" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Resource Explores the Past, Present, and Future Values of America’s Wild Legacy</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>In honor of the Wilderness Act, signed into law by President Johnson 50 years ago on September 3rd, a new publication from The Wilderness Society celebrates the role of wilderness in shaping national character, highlights the significance of wilderness to today&rsquo;s diverse America and calls on Congress to take up its gavel to protect more wild places for future generations.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Changes unforeseen by the authors of the Wilderness Act five decades ago &mdash; pressures like climate change and the onslaught of oil and gas leasing, combined with the emergence of a nature-starved generation &mdash; make the resource of wilderness even more essential to our nation&rsquo;s future,&rdquo; the publication states. It explores the historic, scientific and economic values of wild places, including testimonies of local citizens who are advocating for the designation of new wilderness areas.</p>
<p><a href="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/227696973-Wilderness-Our-Enduring-American-Legacy.pdf">Wilderness: Our Enduring American Legacy can be viewed&nbsp;here</a></p>
<p>&ldquo;The Wilderness Act was a defining moment for our nation and had a profound effect on the future of land conservation here and around the globe,&rdquo; says Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society. &ldquo;It was a groundbreaking law that not only acknowledged the rapid changes happening to our wild landscapes 50 years ago, but it empowered Americans to protect those places for the future. We&rsquo;re telling that powerful story, and it belongs to all of us.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Americans Want Congress to Protect More Wild Places</strong></p>
<p>When it was pending in Congress, President Kennedy called the legislation a &ldquo;significant conservation landmark.&rdquo; In 1964, the Wilderness Act passed in the Senate by a vote of 73 to 12 and it sailed through the House of Representatives with a vote of 371 to 1&mdash; with overwhelming bipartisan support.</p>
<p>Today, more than two dozen locally-crafted, home-grown bills to protect new wilderness areas are still pending before the House and Senate; many have been stalled on Capitol Hill for years due to political partisanship and ideological disputes.</p>
<p>To honor the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, The Wilderness Society is calling on Congress to renew its commitment to protecting wilderness by passing legislation to protect our wild legacy. The report highlights Hermosa Creek in Colorado, Montana&rsquo;s Rocky Mountain Front, and Maine&rsquo;s Coastal Islands among other priority areas.</p>
<p>Reflecting on his time in Congress for The Wilderness Society&rsquo;s publication, Representative John D. Dingell from Michigan writes: &ldquo;Despite the Act&rsquo;s success, we still confront concerted efforts to weaken citizen opportunities to advocate for wild places, which provide economic and recreational benefits to communities and states all across the country.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Dingell is one of the congressional authors of the Wilderness Act and is the last sitting member of Congress to have voted for the Act.</p>
<p><strong>A Changing America Needs Wilderness </strong></p>
<p>Wilderness: Our Enduring American Legacy addresses the role and context for wilderness in our history and our current lives&mdash;reconnecting Americans with the healthy benefits of quiet outdoor recreation, for preservation of essential habitat for wildlife and for critical scientific research in an era of a climate change.</p>
<p>Wilderness safeguards vital watersheds that sustain the supply of clean drinking water to many cities and towns throughout the U.S., including Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and Seattle.</p>
<p>Visits to the 758 areas of the National Wilderness Preservation System &ndash; including popular destinations like Montana&rsquo;s Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in the west and the Shenandoah National Park Wilderness in the east &ndash; contribute to the nation&rsquo;s $646 billion outdoor recreation economy, which supports more than six million jobs across the country.</p>
<p>As a law, the Wilderness Act has been wildly successful, protecting nearly 110 million acres of treasured landscapes, from Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota to Marjory Stoneman Douglass Wilderness in Florida&rsquo;s Everglades to Superstition Wilderness in Arizona.</p>
<p>&ldquo;When people speak up for wild places, it&rsquo;s not some flash-in-the-pan effort,&rdquo; says Jeremy Garncarz, senior director of designations for The Wilderness Society. &ldquo;These are longstanding locally-driven efforts by citizens to see permanent protection for the places they deeply cherish. The Wilderness Act gave them this gift 50 years ago, and we&rsquo;re finding that privilege is more important to the American people today than ever before.&rdquo;</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_contact field-group-div group-contact speed-fast effect-none"><h2><span>Contact</span></h2><div class="field field-name-field-contact-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Michael Reinemer</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-contact-phone field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">202-429-3949</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-contact-email field-type-email field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="mailto:michael_reinemer@tws.org">michael_reinemer@tws.org</a></div></div></div></div>Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:17:45 +0000Michael Reinemer108055 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/press-release/publication-celebrates-wilderness-act-50-year-milestone-enduring-legacy-future#commentsShoshone Forest: Work We Are Doinghttp://wilderness.org/article/work-we-are-doing-shoshone-forest
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-non-displaying-content field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><!-- PLACEHOLDER --></div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_article_content field-group-div group-article-content speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/beartooth-pass%2C-shoshone-national-forest%2C-a.christensen-flickr.jpg?itok=owyz4efZ" width="500" height="263" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Beartooth Pass, Shoshone National Forest</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">a.christensen, Flickr</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Shoshone is unique in the quantity and quality of wilderness and roadless areas. We’re defending these wild lands against reckless development and road building.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>The Wilderness Society is working in the Shoshone National Forest to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Recommend areas for wilderness protection.</li>
<li>Protect roadless areas against poorly regulated oil and gas development.</li>
<li>Prevent new road building by motorized recreation.</li>
</ul>
<p>Our strategy in the Shoshone National Forest has three targets:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>The forest plan</strong><br />The Forest Service is currently revising the Shoshone&rsquo;s forest plan. This plan will spell out how the forest can be used for the next 20 years. Oil and gas developers and motorized recreationists want more roads and less wilderness. We are working with the Forest Service to protect the Shoshone from these threats.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong>Ensuring a promise is kept</strong><br />An agreement between Wyoming&rsquo;s governor and the Forest Service protects pristine areas in the forest from oil and gas leasing. We are working to make sure this understanding is renewed.</li>
<li><strong>Wilderness designation</strong><br />The Forest Service recognized several areas within the Shoshone as having &ldquo;the highest quality wilderness characteristics&rdquo; in a 2008 study. We are making sure these opportunities for future protections are not eroded.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/how-we-work-national-forests"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/related_content/public/aspen-restoration.jpg?itok=msSBdDl3" width="220" height="115" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-promo-item-teaser field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Learn how we keep America’s forests standing tall</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Forests are a vital part of America’s land system. So much of what makes our country special would vanish without them.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-node-link field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/how-we-work-national-forests">Read more</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="field-item odd"><div class="ds-1col article article-landing-page article-promoted even article-related-content view-mode-related_content clearfix ">
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<div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/greater-yellowstone-focus-areas"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/related_content/public/GreaterYellowstone.Tetons.ShinyThings.jpg?itok=j5k7A73Y" width="220" height="115" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-promo-item-teaser field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Find out where we work in Greater Yellowstone</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Greater Yellowstone is an iconic remnant of the American wildlands that once stretched from coast to coast. It is a window to our wild heritage and a wildland in great need of protection.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-node-link field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/greater-yellowstone-focus-areas">Read more</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Sun, 03 Jun 2012 16:27:11 +0000Graziella Jackson717 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/article/work-we-are-doing-shoshone-forest#commentsWhy the Shoshone Foresthttp://wilderness.org/article/why-shoshone-forest
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-non-displaying-content field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><!-- PLACEHOLDER --></div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_article_content field-group-div group-article-content speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/shoshone-national-forest%2C-Sam-Beebe-Ecotrust-Flickr_0.jpg?itok=MsuyavXM" width="500" height="263" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Shoshone National Forest</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Sam Beebe, Ecotrust, Flickr</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">As the nation’s first national forest, the Shoshone is uniquely wild and scenic. More than half is designated as wilderness and another 30 percent is considered pristine.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>This forest supports abundant wildlife and a strong local economy based on hunting, fishing, recreation and tourism. The Wilderness Society works to preserve and expand one of the wildest landscapes in our national forest system.</p>
<p>Here are five reasons why the Shoshone National Forest deserves to remain wild and free:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Historic value:</strong> The Shoshone is the nation&rsquo;s first national forest&nbsp;and remains one of the least-developed.</li>
<li><strong>Uniquely wild:</strong> More than half of the forest&rsquo;s 2.4 million acres is designated as wilderness and another 30% is road free.</li>
<li><strong>Stunning scenery:</strong>&nbsp; The Shoshone forms the eastern border of Yellowstone National Park. It includes parts of the stunning Wind River, Beartooth&nbsp;and Absaroka mountain ranges.</li>
<li><strong>Top habitat:</strong> The Shoshone is home to one of the broadest arrays of wildlife species left on earth.</li>
<li><strong>Strong local economy:</strong> The forest&rsquo;s scenery, wildlife&nbsp;and recreational opportunities support a strong economy built around hunting, fishing, recreation and tourism. &nbsp;</li>
</ol>
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